Operation Ivy

"Operation Ivy" was an influential ska punk

band that originated from the East Bay of San Francisco. The band consisted of frontman Jesse Michaels (vocals), Tim Armstrong (Credited as "Lint") (vocals/guitar), Matt Freeman (Credited as Matt McCall) (bass/backing vocals), and Dave Mello (Drums/backing vocals). Their name was derived from the Operation Ivy series of nuclear tests; the name was one of many previously abandoned by another Gilman band, Isocracy.

The band existed between May of 1987 and May of 1989, as was chronicled in the lyrics of ''Rancid'' song "Journey to the End of the East Bay", which appeared on Rancid's ''...And Out Come the Wolves'':

''Started in '87'' / ''Ended in '89'' / ''You got a garage or an amp, man we'll play anytime'' / ''It was just the four of us,'' / ''Yeah man, the core of us,'' / ''Too much attention unavoidably destroyed us''

|-thumb|250px|Right|The cover for Operation Ivy's only LP, "Energy", which features their famous "Dancing Ska Man"

Their first show was performed on May 16, 1987 in Dave Mello's garage. The next day began a tradition of performances at the Berkeley ska/punk collective center 924 Gilman Street. They began p...